Dog owners in the Feather River drainage area are reminded to take precautions to protect their pets from salmon poisoning disease.

Salmon poisoning disease can be contracted by dogs that come into contact with fish from infested waters throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the southern Cascades and northern Sierras to the Feather River drainage.

The disease is caused by a bacteria-like organism, Neorickettsia helminthoeca, which is transmitted by the parasitic flatworm (or “fluke”) Nanophyetes salmincola.

The fluke affects both trout and salmon in an area roughly north of a diagonal line from Sausalito to Chico, and on the western slope of the Sierra/Cascade mountain range.

CDFW raises fish at three hatcheries where the fluke is present either intermittently or continuously: Darrah Springs, Crystal Lake and Mount Shasta.

However, CDFW only stocks fish from these hatcheries into waters where the parasites have been present for decades.

Throughout the Pacific Northwest thousands of dogs are infected every year with Salmon Poisoning Disease after eating raw or cold-smoked fish infected with the parasitic fluke.

All fish caught or originating from streams in northern California, Oregon and southern Washington could potentially be infected with disease-carrying flukes harmful to dogs.

If your dog has eaten or is suspected of eating raw fish, watch to see whether signs of the disease appear. If signs of the disease appear, promptly take your dog to a veterinarian.

Although this disease is relatively easy to cure if diagnosed in time, it will almost certainly kill a dog if left untreated.

Symptoms are similar to distemper and may include some or all of the following: a rise in body temperature, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, listlessness and/or rapid weight loss.

Dog owners are advised to be cautious and to keep salmon, steelhead, trout and other freshwater fish carcasses away from their dogs.

The parasite cannot survive in cooked fish, is not harmful to humans and does not affect pets other than canines.

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Westside Community Park is asking for input from the community on the horse park under development.

The committee offered its thanks to Lucchetti Excavating, RB Peters, Granite Construction and Lakeport Public Works for their contributions in completing the horse park easement.

The final $15,000 came from Westside Community Park funds, raised at the committee’s annual Grillin’ on the Green event.

The committee is now applying for California Proposition 68 funds to complete the park and it needs the horse community to come together to help design the perfect horse park for Lake County.

They have launched an online survey that they ask every equestrian, and everyone who loves to look at the beautiful horses in Lake County, to complete and share.

Take this survey online here.

For the grant application, it’s essential for the committee to provide evidence that this project is desired and needed in the community.

The committee will hold several events where they hope community members will join them to design the park features. The first will be at the horse park site and they encourage everyone to come, check out the site, give input and enjoy some refreshments.

Join the Westside Community Horse Park Facebook page to get all the current information.

Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) on Tuesday defended consumers and businesses victimized by scams and fraud by voting for H.R. 2668, the “Consumer Protection and Recovery Act.”

This legislation restores the authority of the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, to take lawbreakers to court and recover stolen funds for victims of scam, fraud and other illegal activities.

The agency had exercised this power for more than forty years before the Supreme Court stripped this authority in April.

“With our bill, millions of scam victims will once again have a champion in the FTC,” Garamendi said. “Right now, the FTC can’t use the strongest tool in its toolbox to fight in the courts on behalf of victimized consumers and small businesses — even as scams related to the pandemic are on the rise. That’s why I proudly voted to restore the power of the FTC to continue returning billions of stolen dollars to the American people.”

For four decades, the FTC fought in court to recover money stolen from consumers and businesses through scams, frauds and other illegal activities.

In just the last three years alone, the FTC has returned more than $11 billion to nearly 10 million consumers across the nation — many of whom are seniors, veterans and other members of vulnerable communities.

In April 2021, the Supreme Court held that the FTC cannot provide monetary relief to victims, ruling that the Federal Trade Commission Act, as written, did not grant this authority.

This legislation amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to provide the FTC the explicit authority to secure monetary relief for victims in court, as well as force bad actors to return their ill-gotten gains.

“Today’s vote represents an important step in the fight for justice for victims of scams and fraud,” Garamendi said Tuesday. “Now, the FTC will once again have the tools it needs to take on lawbreakers and stand up for consumers and small businesses for decades to come.”

The Consumer Protection and Recovery Act now heads to the Senate for consideration.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Measure Z Advisory Committee will resume in-person meetings this week.

The committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 21, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

In accordance with updated guidelines from the State of California and revised Cal OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards, persons that are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 are required to wear a face covering at this meeting.

On the agenda is the approval of the April meeting minutes and review of the 2021-22 budget adopted by the Lakeport City Council on June 15.

Citizen members are Meg Harper, Zach Jordan, Susan King, Dennis Rollins and Verna Schaffer. City Manager Kevin Ingram, Finance Director Nick Walker and City Clerk/Secretary Kelly Buendia also are part of the committee.

For more information contact Buendia at 707-263-5615, Extension 101.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — There are locations on earth that are unique in their ability to produce and sustain an unusual amount of biological diversity.

These places are called biodiversity hotspots. Most people think of places like the jungles of Central America or Amazonia, but there is one much closer — it is right here in California.

Please join botanist and Tuleyome board member, Dr. Glen Holstein, to learn about biodiversity in California, including its causes and its value at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, during the latest installment of the “Nature & You” lecture series.

This lecture will be online in a Zoom meeting. Please register here.

After registering, participants will be sent an email with login information. Attendees will be able to ask questions via Zoom’s chat feature. For questions contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Registered participants will be sent an email with login information Wednesday evening. If you register after Wednesday, you will be sent the login link approximately one hour before the lecture.

If you're registered, you'll also be sent a link to a recording of the lecture even if you were not able to attend.

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. — On April 23, Gov. Gavin Newsom joined Caltrans to announce the reopening of a washed-out section of Highway 1 near the heart of Big Sur — after only 86 days.

In this Caltrans News Flash, get a behind the scenes look at how the project team contributed to public safety while working cooperatively with the businesses and residents of Big Sur, and the importance of having this legendary highway open to the local community and visitors.